STMicroelectronics Launches Virtual Laboratory for Audio Innovators

The Audio Processor Workbench is the first and, so far, only solution on the market enabling comprehensive evaluation of a full audio and acoustic chain, from microphone to sound amplifier and output speaker. It goes well beyond typical GUI apps used for device configuration, and provides many features usually available only in high-end test gear.

Engineers can use this tool to assess the entire audio subsystem of new designs for A/V equipment, multimedia PCs, smartphones, tablets or docking systems, and to verify performance and configure and tune individual components. Moreover, its simplicity and ease of use help reduce lengthy tuning operations to a few-minutes’ task.

“The Audio Processor Workbench delivers unprecedented value for designers, and is also a cost-effective tool for production testing and quality control,” said Andrea Onetti, General Manager Analog and Audio Systems Division, STMicroelectronics. “We have applied many lessons learned from working with our customers in the digital audio space to provide features engineers need to create new products with outstanding audio performance.”

In addition, the built-in support for ST’s MEMS microphones significantly expands the audio-system designers’ capabilities, making it easier to implement advanced features such as voice recognition and noise cancellation in new product designs.

Further technical information:

As a fully featured virtual laboratory, Audio Processor Workbench gives engineers access to sophisticated instruments such as signal scopes, spectrum analyzers, signal generators, level meters, parametric equalizers and much more, on the desktop.

The Audio Processor Workbench provides a user interface to the sophisticated IPs embedded in ST’s audio chips, giving engineers full control over the acoustic path. Leveraging the pure digital nature of the audio input and output devices, it allows streaming of the acquired acoustic signal to the host PC, digital processing by the user’s chosen audio IP, and listening of the tuned acoustic path, all in real-time. The Audio Processor Workbench supports ST’s digital MEMS microphone portfolio and the majority of SoundTerminal ICs including analog and digital audio processors, CODECs, headphone amplifiers, power amplifiers, and filtering and signal-conditioning devices. It also supports the comprehensive range of audio evaluation boards, as well as the recently released STA321MP STSmartVoice digital MEMS microphones evaluation kit. Designers can use the STAudioHub to connect their hardware, such as a prototype or ST evaluation board, easily to the host PC and quickly begin analyzing its performance.